British courts

1. The lowest courts in Great Britain are called Magistrates` courts, or police courts.

2. The Crown courts deal with all more serious criminal cases

3. There is the Central Criminal Court of London.

4. It is known as the Old Bailey.

5. County courts are the main civil courts.

6. The High court hears all those civil cases that cannot be decided by county courts.

7. The Court of Appeals hears both criminal and civil appeals.

8. But the final criminal appellate tribunal is the House of Lords.

9. The ten judges in the House of Lords are called "the Law Lords".

American Courts

1, The U.S.A. is divided into eleven judicial circuits and each one is served by a Federal Court of Appeals.

2. There are about ninety district courts in different parts of the United Sates.

3. The district courts are the lowest ones in the Federal court system.

4. Most of criminal and civil cases are tried by these courts.

5. There are about two hundred district judges in the U.S.A.

6. Cases tried in the district courts may be appealed in one of the eleven Courts of Appeal and the Supreme Court.

7. The decision of the Supreme Court is final.

8. In the United States the judiciary is divided into the federal and state judiciary.

9. Jurisdiction of particular courts or judges is determined by either the national or state constitutions or laws.

10. The state courts are organised in a system that looks like the system of Federal courts with a Supreme Court at the top.

11. In most of the states the lowest courts are the magistrates` courts.

12. They are also called police courts.

Classification of crimes

1. There are three classes of crime treasons, felonies and misdemeanours.

2. There is also a new distinction between "arrestable" and "nonarrestable" offences.

3. "Index crimes" includes 7 categories.

4. They are murders, rape, assault, robbery, burglary, larceny and car theft.

5. Four categories of the seven are included under "crimes of violence"

6. They are murder, rape, aggravated assault, and robbery.

7. Most of serious crimes committed in the USA are not violent personal crimes.

8. They are crimes against property.

9. The most frequently committed offence is larceny - theft.

Youth Violence Problem

1. Youth violence is a major problem in the U.S.A.

2. Young people commit twice as many crimes as adults.

3. Juveniles represent a special set of problems for the police.

4. Modern American police have several alternatives of actions when faced with juvenile misconduct.

5. The basic alternatives are:

- No action.

- Release at the police station.

- Release to a parent.

- Contact with a social service agency.

- Contact with the juvenile court.

6. But fighting crime is not the task of police only.

7. All law-abiding citizens must make their contribution to prevention and combating juvenile delinquency.